Moon
by GoldenDawn13
Summary: The life of Orla Quirke.


Orla Quirke nervously stood with all the other first years, hiding behind her new found friend, Rose Zeller. "Look," her friend whispered to her, "that's Harry Potter, he's in his fourth year." Orla turned her gaze to where Rose was staring.

He looked just like the pictures. Black messy hair, emerald eyes, and the famous scar on his forehead. But the look in his eyes were old and wise. As though he had seen too much already at 14 years old.

"Quirke, Orla!" barked the stern lady, and Orla almost fell over in surprise. She quickly hurried to the stool, ducking behind her long sheet of dark hair.

"Ah, I see we have an intelligent brain here," chuckled a voice in her head, and Orla let out a surprised squeak. "Not the bravest, easily scared, but very cunning and smart," mused the voice. "A kind, caring spirit, I have a feeling you'll do well in RAVENCLAW!" the hat boomed and Orla practically tripped over herself as she hurried to the table.

"I can't believe we've already been in Hogwarts for three years!" grinned Dennis Creevey. Orla smiled at her friend.

"I can't believe they're actually making us go back to Hogwarts," scowled Rose. The inseparable trio fell silent. "With Snape as our new Headmaster and You-Know-Who rising," the strawberry blond trailed off, shaking her head darkly.

Orla shivered, and Dennis put a comforting arm around her. Bravery gleamed in Dennis's eyes as he stood up in their compartment.

"I have an idea! We need to fight against Snape! We should join the DA again! Dumbledore's Army!" his voice passionate with Gryffindor pride.

"Dumbledore's Army?" Rose raised her eyebrows. Dennis had joined it in their second year too and wanted to invite his two friends. They refused, and the trio almost split up.

"I don't know Dennis," Orla sighed. "I mean we're older than last time, but we're still pretty young. This whole You-Know-Who buisness is extremely serious. We'd probably get kicked off to the sidelines, into hiding."

"Come on guys," Dennis protested. "Please?" Rose, who was oddly silent, spoke up,

"I'll do it." Dennis grinned.

Orla felt the two stares of her best friends. "I'm in."

Orla slipped in next to Padma as all the students wandered in for dinner. The young dark haired witch nibbled on her food as she read her book. "Reading while eating?" smiled Padma. "I'd be more surprised if you weren't reading," the pretty seventh year laughed.

"Please, I'm sorry!" squealed a voice. Orla and Padma turned, and to their horror, saw Alecto Carrow hovering threatening over Camilla Vern, a sweet, little Ravenclaw first year.

"Oh no," Padma whispered.

"You're sorry?" Alecto said mockingly. "Oh, well I'm afraid 'sorry' doesn't get you out of detention!" she spat in Camilla's face.

Camilla burst into tears. "Stop crying brat!" yelled Alecto, slashing her wand, slicing the first year's cheek open. Camilla was in hysterics as Alecto started to drag her to the dungeons to serve her detention.

Before Orla even knew what she was doing, her wand was drawn out and a protego spell blasted Camilla and Alecto apart. Shakily, Orla stood up, gripping her wand tightly.

"Miss Quirke," Alecto snarled. "Did you just draw your wand out?" Gulping, Orla said nothing, her mouth frozen shut. A sneer flickered on Alecto's face "Well, I've always appreciated a good duel."

The Great Hall was silent with worry as the two witches faced each other. Camilla quickly ran into Padma's arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. Alecto fired curse after curse, while Orla ducked and dodged, blocking the spells.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Orla screamed, as a vicious spell shot at her heart. Her Patronus, a beautiful swan, swam in front of Orla, absorbing the spell. Unfortunately, Alecto fired another counter spell, hitting Orla's right hand. The fourth year shrieked, her hand was black as ash, smoking.

"Enough!" barked Snape sharply. The Great Hall went dead, everyone holding their breath. Orla stood at the Ravenclaw table, holding her shriveled, non-working hand, tears pouring down her face. "Alecto, wand down," he commanded. Alecto reluctantly put down her wand. "Quirke, to the dungeons."

"No!" burst Dennis Creevey rushing forward, but Amycus already was dragging a sobbing Orla away.

"Orla!" cried Terry Boot in relief, scooping the fourteen year old into a tight hug. "What did Snape do to you in the dungeons? You've been down there for an entire week, we were all so worried."

Orla burst into tears, crumpling to the ground. "He-," she paused, letting out another sob, "he locked me up in a cell!" She cried. "The monster had dementors hover around my cell. It was like mini-Azkaban!" Orla laid on the common room floor, broken with the utter loneliness.

Orla's empty sobs echoed through the Ravenclaw common room.

"Everyone fourth year and below is not allowed to fight," McGonagall announced. Orla Quirke stared in shock.

"That's not fair!" burst Dennis, standing up. "We all have been training our butts off to help defeat Voldemort! You have to let us fight!"

McGonagall took a deep breath. "Dennis, as your Head of your House, I am touched by your bravery, but you all are too young. Neville has barely convinced me to let the fifth years fight."

Murmurs flickered around the Room of Requirement, but no one said anything. Neville sighed, looking drained.

"Fourth years and younger, sneak out into Hogsmeade. Susan, go with them," he commanded.

Orla quietly followed Dennis and Rose through the tunnel. They were the only fourth years in DA, and now it was their job to protect all the little ones.

Susan put a protective hand on her stomach, and Orla squeezed her other hand. "Okay, listen up everybody!" Dennis called. "We're are going to stay with Aberforth in Hog's Head. If you see anyone injured around Hogsmeade, we'll go help them. Got it?" Everyone nodded.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, Aberforth wasn't there. They all quietly crawled out, standing there cautiously.

"REDUCTO!" bellowed a deep voice, and the ceiling exploded. Orla quickly found her friends.

"I'll get Susan and the kids to safety, you guys fight," Rose said firmly. Dennis and Orla nodded, sending hexes at the Death Eater. He was soon down, and Rose, Susan, and the little witches and wizards were gone.

"People in Hogwarts need help," Dennis said bravely, running to the battlefield. Orla paused, terrified, but quickly followed him.

"CRUCIO!" shrieked Alecto, who was in a fierce duel with Parvati. The later mentioned ducked, and shot a jinx of her own. Orla dueled a huge man, she was only alive because she was so tiny and could dodge well.

"ORLA!" Parvati screamed. "What are you doing here?" Orla just squeaked, a Killing Curse brushing her hair.

"STUPEFY!" Orla cried, and the Death Eater collapsed, stunned. The little witch turned around. "Parvati?" she whispered.

The said witch was lying on the ground, her pretty face lifeless. "PARVATI!" Orla flung herself at the motionless body.

Orla Quirke gazed at her reflection, hot tears streaming down her face. Her left eye was barely recognizable, clawed and ruined from Greyback. Her right hand was shriveled, the color of ash. from Alecto earlier on in the year. A couple scars trickled down her pale skin. She was a monster. Sniffling, Orla carefully placed on her new eyes patch over her hideous eye. Slipping, on her Ravenclaw cloak, Orla shook her right sleeve, so it fell over her dead head.

"Ready Orla?" asked the soft voice of Lavender Brown. Orla turned to the seventh year, who beared vicious scars. Pomfrey had finally allowed them to celebrate Voldemort's defeat in the Great Hall with everyone else. Both girls were still extremely weak, but they managed to beg the strict matron to let them go.

"Come on girls," smiled Angelina sadly. She was doing that a lot, ever since Fred's death.

Angelina had joined them in the Hospital Wing. After the battle, rubble fell on her, breaking her ribs and cutting her. The witch was found lying on the ground, in a pool of blood, clutching a sparkling ring on her ring finger. Fred was going to propose to her after the battle.

Orla and Lavender nodded, and the three girls carefully walked out into the Great Hall. Angelina softly walked over to George, sitting down next to him. The two quietly sat there, giving each other comfort.

Seamus grinned, standing up and waved cheerfully at Lavender, who shyly smiled back. She hurried over, sitting next to him and Padma.

Orla silently sat next to Dennis, ducking her head to cover her brand new eye patch. Neither one said anything. Both had suffered too much from the war. Dennis lost his older brother, his other best friend, and his parents now hated him. Orla lost her eye, her hand, her other best friend, and her parents...well the last thing she heard about them was that they were in Azkaban because they supported Dumbledore.

"Dennis," Orla said softly. Dennis turned, he hadn't spoken since Colin died. She didn't say anything, placing her hand on his comfortably.

Orla almost didn't catch it, but she swore she heard the faintest breeze of Dennis saying, "Thank you Orla."

Orla sighed as Dennis disappeared, slinking into the shadows. He had finally started talking again, when he made a slip up, turning to crack a joke with Rose. Dennis blamed Rose's death on himself, he was there when she died, and apparently could have protected her. Orla didn't blame him. She had nightmares where Parvati haunted her, moaning why Orla didn't save her.

Dennis went back to his silent mode, hiding. Orla wished she was able to hide like Dennis, but with her new scars, she stood out and drew everyone's attention. Something Orla detested.

The clawed fifth year hurried down the hall, keeping her head low. The way people looked at her made her want to cry and sink into the floor. She didn't eat that much anymore, hid in the library, and cried herself to sleep everyday. Dennis wasn't doing much better.

Orla paused, spotting a tiny first year struggling with her pile of books. The fifth year inwardly smiled. The first year reminded her of herself when she was 11. Orla watched as the books crumpled to the floor, and the first year girl try to stack them up again.

Orla stepped out, waving her wand and handing the newly stacked and weightless books to the little girl. "Here you go," she smiled. "All better."

The girl's blue eyes widened, taking in the eye patch, the three claw marks that traveled from the eye patch to Orla's cheekbone, the trickling scars, and the shriveled hand. The first year burst into hysterics. "MONSTER!" she screamed, pressing herself against the wall. Everyone stared down the hallway.

Orla stood, frozen. Monster. The word echoed in her mind. Hermione Granger suddenly appeared, swooping the girl into a hug.

"It's okay, she's not a monster, just a girl, like you," the intelligent witch mused. Orla collapsed to the floor, like the first year's books, heaving with quiet heart wrenching sobs.

Orla tugged at her gypsy skirt nervously. After six long years of friendship, Dennis asked her out to the first Hogsmeade weekend. The two had gone through everything together, and one sunny day Dennis randomly asked her out. Orla had stammered a yes, no one had ever asked her out, since she had gotten her scars, and he gave her a grin.

"You're so pretty, Orla," gushed Camilla Vern, who was now a tall pretty fourth year. "I can't believe how long it took for Dennis to ask you out."

Orla smiled sadly. She knew why. Fifth year was full of grief, hiding, and crying. Sixth year, things slowly got better, Orla started to come down to the Great Hall to eat, and Dennis started talking again. Now, in seventh year, things were looking up, and they figured out their feelings for each other.

"Thanks Camilla, I better go," Orla said softly, ducking out the portrait hole. Dennis Creevey was waiting for her at the steps, grinning broadly. Orla smiled widely, taking his extended hand.

""To Hog's Head we go!" cheered Dennis, and the two of them set off to a stroll. Dennis kept Orla laughing the whole way through, and when wizards and witches stared at Orla, Dennis would squeeze her hand tightly. The two barged into Aberforth's bar laughing.

"Hey kiddos," grumbled Aberforth. "Quiet down, you're going to scare away business."

"Sorry Aberforth," Orla smiled, sitting down. Dennis just shrugged and ordered two Butterbeers.

The two sat there quietly, wondering what would be in store for them in the future.

"To a new beginning," Dennis held up his Butterbeer. Orla clinked hers against his.

"To a new beginning," she repeated softly.


End file.
